King Sturge's retail investment team rounded off 2009 with four deals, totalling over £23m, that ably demonstrated the renewed interest by funds in this sector.

King Sturge advised Robert Hitchins Limited in the sale of Quedgeley Retail Park in Gloucester to Royal London Asset Management. The sale offered a rare opportunity to acquire a retail park with open A1 consent in Gloucester and attracted 15 bids, ultimately achieving a market leading price of £13.815m, to reflect an initial yield of 5.68%.

At Barnes in south west London, King Sturge represented Oakmill Properties in the sale of a 4,000 sq ft supermarket to Mayfair Capital Partners for £2.3m, reflecting an initial yield of 5.25%. The store, which only opened in 2008, is let to Sainsbury's on a 15-year lease at £32 per sq ft with RPI uplifts of between 3% and 6%. It is part of a mixed-use development in White Hart Lane that includes nine residential units above the supermarket.

In another supermarket deal, King Sturge acted for Mayfair Capital Partners in acquiring the Sainsbury's Local in Hampton Hill, Greater London, comprising 6,736 sq ft. The purchase price was £2.5m, reflecting an initial yield of 5.9%, and the vendor was Rico Partners.

The final deal of the year concerned the sale to IRP Holdings - a fund run by F&C REIT Asset Management - of a 37,000 sq ft B&Q unit in Nelson, Lancashire, for £5.27m, reflecting an initial yield of 7%. King Sturge acted for the vendor, a joint venture vehicle managed by AEW Europe and Mountgrange Investment Management.